Global Stationary Phase and the Sign Problem

We present a computational strategy for reducing the sign problem in the evaluation of high dimensional integrals with non-positive definite weights. The method involves stochastic sampling with a positive semidefinite weight that is adaptively and optimally determined during the course of a simulation. The optimal criterion, which follows from a variational principle for analytic actions S(z), is a global stationary phase condition that the average gradient of the phase Im(S) along the sampling path vanishes. Numerical results are presented from simulations of a model adapted from statistical field theories of classical fluids.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, submitted for publicatio

The role of dynamical polarization of the ligand to metal charge transfer excitations in {\em ab initio} determination of effective exchange parameters

The role of the bridging ligand on the effective Heisenberg coupling parameters is analyzed in detail. This analysis strongly suggests that the ligand-to-metal charge transfer excitations are responsible for a large part of the final value of the magnetic coupling constant. This permits to suggest a new variant of the Difference Dedicated Configuration Interaction (DDCI) method, presently one of the most accurate and reliable for the evaluation of magnetic effective interactions. This new method treats the bridging ligand orbitals mediating the interaction at the same level than the magnetic orbitals and preserves the high quality of the DDCI results while being much less computationally demanding. The numerical accuracy of the new approach is illustrated on various systems with one or two magnetic electrons per magnetic center. The fact that accurate results can be obtained using a rather reduced configuration interaction space opens the possibility to study more complex systems with many magnetic centers and/or many electrons per center.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Note on the point-splitting procedure to evaluate vacuum fluctuation in certain cylindrically symmetric backgrounds

We revisit two-point function approaches used to study vacuum fluctuation in wedge-shaped regions and conical backgrounds. Appearance of divergent integrals is discussed and circumvented. The issue is considered in the context of a massless scalar field in cosmic string spacetime.Comment: REVTeX file, 7 page

Increasing Vegetable Diversity Consumption Impacts the Sympathetic Nervous System Activity in School-Aged Children

Evidence about the impact of vegetable and fruit diversity consumption on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning is scarce. In this cross-sectional study (513 participants, 49.9% girls aged 7 to 12 years), we evaluated the association between vegetable and fruit diversity consumption and the ANS in school-aged children. Dietary intake was collected using a single 24-h recall questionnaire. Fruit and vegetable diversity consumption was estimated by summing up all the different individual vegetables and fruits consumed in one day. Pupillometry was used to assess pupillary light response, which evaluated the ANS activity. Adjusted linear regressions estimated the association between vegetable and fruit diversity consumption with pupillary light response measures. There was a positive and significant association between vegetable diversity consumption and the average dilation velocity, a measure related to the sympathetic nervous system activity (beta-coefficient = 0.03, 95%CI: 0.002; 0.07). Our findings show that vegetable diversity consumption is associated with the ANS response, a possible early link between diet and health in school-aged children

Emprego do babaçu (Orbignya phalerata) como fonte energética para caititus (Pecari tajacu).

O objetivo foi estudar o emprego de babaçu integral e torta de babaçu, como fontes energéticas substituindo parte do milho na alimentação do caititu (Pecari tajacu) em sistemas de cativeiro. No experimento-I, avaliou-se o desempenho de 12 animais, testando-se o babaçu integral em rações de mantença. No experimento-II avaliou-se o desempenho de 12 animais, testando-se a torta de babaçu em rações de terminação. Os mesmos foram abatidos para análise de carcaças. Avaliaram-se rendimento, composição, medidas, órgãos, glândulas e cortes comerciais. O Ganho diário de peso (GDP) e consumo diário de ração (CDR) dos animais que receberam babaçu integral, diminuíram quando a proporção do babaçu aumentou. Até 25% de inclusão do mesmo, obtiveram CDR satisfatório. Considerando-se a disponibilidade e custo reduzido do babaçu integral na Amazônia comparando-o ao milho, sugere-se até 25% de babaçu integral em rações de caititus em mantença. Embora não foi observada nenhuma diferença significativa (P> 0,05) dos níveis de farelo de babaçu sobre o ganho médio diário eo consumo médio diário de ração, os resultados mostram bom desempenho em 40% de torta na ração de caititus em fase de terminação. Houve uma tendência para bons GDP, consumo, rendimentos de carcaça e cortes comerciais em 40% de torta de babaçu, sugerindo-a como alternativa energética substituindo o milho em rações para caititus na fase de terminação

Ambiguity in the evaluation of the effective action on the cone

An ambiguity in the computation of the one-loop effective action for fields living on a cone is illustrated. It is shown that the ambiguity arises due to the non-commutativity of the regularization of ultraviolet and (conical) boundary divergencies.Comment: REVTeX file, 10 pages. Comments on recent papers have been adde

Pinning of spiral fluxons by giant screw dislocations in YBa_2Cu_3O_7 single crystals: Josephson analog of the fishtail effect

By using a highly sensitive homemade AC magnetic susceptibility technique, the magnetic flux penetration has been measured in YBa_2Cu_3O_7 single crystals with giant screw dislocations (having the structure of the Archimedean spirals) exhibiting a=3 spiral turnings, the pitch b=18.7 microns and the step height c=1.2nm (the last parameter is responsible for creation of extended weak-link structure around the giant defects). The magnetic field applied parallel to the surface enters winding around the weak-link regions of the screw in the form of the so-called spiral Josephson fluxons characterized by the temperature dependent pitch b_f(T). For a given temperature, a stabilization of the fluxon structure occurs when b_f(T) matches b (meaning an optimal pinning by the screw dislocations) and manifests itself as a pronounced low-field peak in the dependence of the susceptibility on magnetic field (applied normally to the surface) in the form resembling the high-field (Abrikosov) fishtail effect.Comment: see also http://www.jetpletters.ac.ru/ps/1886/article_28701.shtm

Análise do acúmulo de transcritos de ?-3-dessaturases em genótipos de soja contrastantes para o teor de ácido linolênico.

Os ácidos graxos poliinsaturados, como linoléico e linolênico, são os principais responsáveis pela alta instabilidade oxidativa a altas temperaturas do óleo destinado a frituras e à fabricação de biodiesel. A biossíntese de ácidos graxos poliinsaturados é catalisada pelas dessaturases. A -6-dessaturase converte ácido oléico (18:19) a linoléico (18:29,12) e a -3-dessaturase produz ácido linolênico (18:39,12,15) a partir de 18:29,12. Três genes principais (GmFAD3A, GmFAD3B e GmFAD3C) foram caracterizados como responsáveis pela produção de -3-dessaturase em soja. Os mecanismos precisos de regulação da produção de ácido linolênico ainda não são muito claros, o que dificulta o processo de obtenção de genótipos com baixo conteúdo desse ácido graxo. A análise molecular de mutantes de soja com baixo conteúdo de ácido linolênico poderá ajudar a elucidar tais mecanismos. Os objetivos principais deste trabalho foram determinar os níveis de mRNAs das principais -3-dessaturases, correlacionando-os com as concentrações relativas de ácidos linolênico durante a ontogenia da semente de soja em genótipos normais e mutantes. Para isso, foram utilizados três genótipos contrastantes para essa característica: A29, (~1% 18:315,12,9); N85-2176 (~3% 18:315,12,9) e Tucunaré (Variedade comercial, ~8% 18:315,12,9). As plantas foram cultivadas em casa de vegetação e suas sementes foram coletadas separadamente em 5 estádios de desenvolvimento de acordo com o peso úmido da semente: 1º estádio: 0 a 125 mg; 2º estádio: 126 a 250 mg; 3º estádio: 251 a 375 mg; 4º estádio: superior a 376 mg; 5 º estádio: semente madura. Os teores de ácidos graxos na fração óleo das sementes nos cinco estádios de desenvolvimento foram determinados por cromatografia gasosa e a expressão gênica, por PCR quantitativo, utilizando como o controle endógeno o gene da GAPDH (gliceraldeído-3-fosfato desidrogenase). De modo geral, o conteúdo de 18:39,12,15 decresceu drasticamente nos estádios iniciais em todos os genótipos. No entanto, não foi observada expressão diferencial entre os genes GmFAD3A, GmFAD3B e GmFAD3C, que pudessem explicar tais alterações. O genótipo A29, seguido de N85-2176, apresentou a menor concentração de 18:39,12,15 durante todo o desenvolvimento da semente. Estes genótipos apresentaram expressão praticamente nula do gene GmFAD3A. Além disso, A29 apresentou expressão reduzida do gene GmFAD3B. Assim, pelo menos em parte, os níveis de transcritos dos genes GmFAD3A e GmFAD3B explicam as diferenças na concentração de ácidos graxos da fração óleo em A29 e N85-2176. Apoio financeiro: CNPq e CAPES

Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis of the Burkholderia cepacia Tyrosine Kinase bceF Mutant Reveals a Role in Tolerance to Stress, Biofilm Formation, and Virulence

The bacterial tyrosine-kinase (BY-kinase) family comprises the major group of bacterial enzymes endowed with tyrosine kinase activity. We previously showed that the BceF protein from Burkholderia cepacia IST408 belongs to this BY-kinase family and is involved in the biosynthesis of the exopolysaccharide cepacian. However, little is known about the extent of regulation of this protein kinase activity. In order to examine this regulation, we performed a comparative transcriptome profile between the bceF mutant and wild-type B. cepacia IST408. The analyses led to identification of 630 genes whose expression was significantly changed. Genes with decreased expression in the bceF mutant were related to stress response, motility, cell adhesion, and carbon and energy metabolism. Genes with increased expression were related to intracellular signaling and lipid metabolism. Mutation of bceF led to reduced survival under heat shock and UV light exposure, reduced swimming motility, and alteration in biofilm architecture when grown in vitro. Consistent with some of these phenotypes, the bceF mutant demonstrated elevated levels of cyclic-di-GMP. Furthermore, BceF contributed to the virulence of B. cepacia for larvae of the Greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella. Taken together, BceF appears to play a considerable role in many cellular processes, including biofilm formation and virulence. As homologues of BceF occur in a number of pathogenic and plant-associated Burkholderia strains, the modulation of bacterial behavior through tyrosine kinase activity is most likely a widely occurring phenomenon.FCT contract: (PTDC/BIA-MIC/66977/2006), FCT postdoctoral grant and a doctoral grant, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian scholarship